The invention relates to an adjustable boat paddle, and particularly to a double bladed kayak paddle which may be adjusted in its length and blade angles. The paddle may be broken down into two parts for storage and transportation. Kayaking has grown increasingly in popularity over the years. Kayaking is a customized boating sport in which the kayak paddle needs to be customized for a particular boater. Often, when it is attempted to manufacture the paddle by fitting two pieces together, much of the structural integrity of the one-piece structure is lost. Preserving the structural integrity is particularly important in white-water kayaking. Normally, an extra paddle is not carried in the kayak. If the two-piece construction is not strong enough to survive the rigorous encounters during kayaking, the paddle may fail and the boater may be left on the water without a paddle. While there has been a need for a two-piece kayak paddle which is fully adjustable in length and blade angles, this has been difficult due to the structural integrity needed when joined together as one-piece.
This need was met in part in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,378 by an adjustable kayak paddle which could be broken down and assembled with the blade angle at ninety degree increments. An interior sleeve provided some structural rigidity to the joint of the paddle. However, the paddle may not be adjusted in its length. The blade angle is set in ninety degree increments and it is not possible to customize the blade angle setting by variances in degrees.
Persons engaged in kayaking normally have a preference for the type of paddle control that is used to paddle the kayak. In a paddle which is controlled by the right hand, the wrist of the right hand is utilized to rotate the paddle ninety degrees on alternate strokes so that the face of the paddle blade properly enters the water. The shaft of the paddle is held loosely in the left hand and rotated by the wrist of the right hand on the left hand stroke. In a left hand control paddle, the opposite is true. The left hand grips the paddle and the wrist of the left hand rotates the paddle generally ninety degrees as it is held loosely in the right hand. Right and left hand control paddles are also used in feathered and non-feathered configurations. Generally, kayak paddles are used in a no usually feathered configuration. A paddle that has been designed for left or right hand control may be set to a non-feathered position and the paddle can normally be used by anyone.
Kayak paddles typically have been sold in a fixed length to suit the physical size and paddling style of the kayaker. Blade angles have been sold both parallel (nonfeathered) and 90 degrees, right and left hand control. The trend is to adjust and offset the blade angles between 50 and 90 degrees to allow the kayaker to reach a physical compromise which reduces windage of the top blade as well as make the kayak easier to eskimo row. To make and stock a wide range of customized paddles is expensive and to stock a wide variety of feathered paddles to suit all needs is highly impractical.
An adjustable break-down boat paddle is illustrated in British Patent No. 1,312,320 showing an orr which can be taken apart. The sections of the orr are scarfed so that they fit together and form a tight joint. A threaded nut is tightened down over a threaded section to make a tight joint. The construction does not take into account double bladed paddles having multiple operational positions wherein the blades re-oriented at different angles with respect to each other, nor to the structural integrity of the joint as required by rigorous white-water rafting. Further, it is not possible to adjust the length of the paddle by this type of joint. U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,032 discloses a boat paddle having a blade which can be set at different angles for varying the pitch. A quick release coupling is provided.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide an adjustable kayak paddle which may be readily customized in length and blade angle for any kayaker.
Another object of the invention is to provide a joint having increased strength for an adjustable length and adjustable blade angle paddle.
Another important object of the invention is to provide a kayak paddle having an adjustable joint which allows for adjusting the length of the paddle and for infinitely adjusting the angle at which the blades may be set relative to each other.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable kayak paddle which may be broken down into two pieces, adjusted in its length as one-piece with different blade angle settings, and a joint for adjustability and breakdown which has increased structural integrity.